


Montage

by aj_linguistik



Series: SAO Prideweek 2019 [5]
Category: Sword Art Online (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Day 5, M/M, Mostly Eugeo's thoughts, One Shot, Past & Present & Future, Quinella is dressed and we are pretending she STAYS that way, Quinella is only present because of where in canon I placed this I am NOT a Quinella stan, SAO Prideweek 2019, Spoilers for Alicization, Thinking About the Future
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-12
Updated: 2019-04-12
Packaged: 2020-01-12 01:21:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18436097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aj_linguistik/pseuds/aj_linguistik
Summary: Written for SAO Prideweek 2019's Day 5 prompt: Past & Present & Future.Eugeo reflects on his discovered memories of Kirito when Quinella removes his Piety Module. He considers the future he wants for himself and decides how to move forward.





	Montage

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: This prompt was really difficult for me. I decided to insert some thoughts from a certain point in canon and make them gay. This does spoil bits from the Alicization arc, as it is adapted from a scene in light novel volume 14, anime season 2 episode 21. 
> 
> Thank you again to @camomilafil for doing the beta reading! She helped me to appreciate this piece more because it really frustrated me. ^w^

           Two children pressed sticks up against each other, mocking intense battle with exaggerated war cries. The one with flaxen hair seemed to be deeply concentrating on what he was doing. The boy with ink-colored hair, on the other hand, sported a facetious grin as he pressed his stick further towards his sparring partner. Digging his feet into the ground, the blond knit his eyebrows and pushed back with all of his might.

A dream?

No.

A memory. This was his memory. That was him with the flaxen hair.

The dark-haired boy dashed away from him. He turned towards him, backpedaling as fast as he could. One arm reached out to him, fingers spread wide, waiting to be grasped. A smile so wide it took up his entire face spread from cheekbone to cheekbone.

Tears welled up in his eyes.

The image changed. All that differed was the black-haired boy’s age, though. He still was there, beside the same large tree, backpedaling away from him, arm outstretched, beckoning for him to reach out and grasp his hand. The smile was still there, too, but more teasing.

“Ki…ri…to…”

Images of his friend flashed in his mind. His mysterious smiles. His kind gazes. His soft, almost androgynous features. His confident laughter. His dark, short locks of hair. His night-colored eyes.

That’s what he’d forgotten.

As the Pontifex pulled the Piety Module out of the center of his forehead, memories of Kirito flooded his brain. The same boy he’d unleashed his Perfect Weapon Control on minutes before now broke through the icy barrier in his mind, free of the restraints that separated him from Eugeo. The tears he’d been holding back streamed down his cheeks, consistent with the melting walls in his thoughts…

* * *

 

The ax connected with the wide cut in the tree, sending out a reverberating clang into the forest. He felt the solid hit from his wrists up to his shoulders. He pulled the ax out of the spot he’d lodged it and let it drop to the ground with a thud. Panting, he drew in a deep breath and stepped back.

“Two…thousand,” he gasped.

An unnecessary clapping came from behind him. He turned around and gave his friend an annoyed look. The teasing grin he got as a result wiped the annoyance off of his face instantly. The other boy stood up, walked over to him, and patted his shoulder.

“Now we can go and get dinner!” he said, flashing a toothy grin.

“You think with your stomach a lot, don’t you, Kirito?”

“It’s only natural to feel hungry after a day of hard work!”

He chuckled and shook his head. Kirito picked up the ax. Together, they made their way over to the shed, made sure the ax was properly put away, and then began their long walk back to Rulid. Kirito walked a few paces ahead of him, hands clasped behind his head.

The sun was sinking quickly below the horizon. Brilliant yellows, pinks, oranges, and purples filled his vision as he watched the day transform into night. Solus crept closer and closer to the ground, giving Lunaria space in the sky for the next several hours. His gaze was drawn away from the sunset when Kirito grunted and kicked a rock.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“You try to see how far you can kick one, Eugeo!”

Frowning, he glanced down at the path, selected a rock, and then gave it a prompt kick. It skittered down the lane for a few mels before coming to a stop. Kirito snickered, kicking another rock. It skipped and hopped away, passing Eugeo’s easily.

“Do you ever think about who you’re going to marry?”

“Kirito, that’s such a random question.”

“Well, yeah, but, do you?”

Eugeo considered the question. At the age of eleven, he wasn’t exactly close to needing to think about something like that. He wondered what had spurned that kind of comment from Kirito; it wasn’t a concern for them at all. He thought about their friend, Alice, and how she’d be restricted from going out and playing with boys soon. Maybe that was the source of the odd question.

“The only person I ever think about in my long-term future is you,” he said, giving Kirito a sideways glance.

Kirito stopped in his tracks, doubling over with laughter.

“It’s not funny! I’m serious! I don’t think about marriage, I think about us!”

The other boy straightened himself back up and wiped the corners of his eyes. Eugeo stopped, turned around, and crossed his arms. Kirito held up his hands in mock-surrender. Shaking his head, Eugeo sighed.

“Honestly, aren’t we a little young to think about that anyways?”

“I’m glad you’d pick me, Eugeo.”

Kirito’s unexpected comeback surprised him. Eugeo blinked at him, unsure of how to respond to his friend. Giggling, Kirito flashed him a cheeky grin and took off towards Rulid at full speed. Broken out of his reverie, Eugeo scrambled after him, begging his friend to slow down so that he could keep up.

The scene changed. He was on his knees. The floor was dyed red—but that red wasn’t a carpet. It was blood. Blood draining all too fast from Kirito’s body. Eugeo’s heart felt as if it might stop. He attempted a healing art. Kirito remained limp on the floor, his eyes shut tight. Eugeo gently picked up one of his hands.

He couldn’t lose him. Not now. Not after everything they’d been through. The very thought of Kirito leaving him tore at his heart. Kirito, the person who had stayed by his side for two years, supporting him and encouraging him, could not die here. Eugeo refused to sit there idly while he had the power to save him.

His fingers gripped Kirito’s tighter.

“System Call: Transfer Human Unit Durability: Self to Left.”

_Please don’t die._

He shut his eyes, not wanting to see his own failure.

_I love you. Please don’t die._

“Eugeo.”

* * *

 

“Don’t tell me you’ve already forgotten.”

In an instant, he was jerked back into the present. His head was lying down on something and his eyes were pointed at the far wall. Fingers ran through his hair. He felt lead in his chest. She was waiting.

“Remove Core Protection.”

If he didn’t act now, he might lose himself again. The smiling face of the boy he’d trapped downstairs appeared in the forefront of his mind again. The woman asking him to surrender his mind to her told him that love was control. But he didn’t want to control Kirito. He wanted to be beside him, working as his equal.

_“Love isn’t something you get as a reward!”_

There was that voice again, reaching desperately out to him. He’d done nothing deserving of Kirito’s love, but neither had Kirito done anything to deserve his love. When he’d taken Kirito’s hand in his and begged him to live as he transferred his own life to him, it wasn’t because Kirito deserved it. It was because Eugeo didn’t want to live in a world without him in it.

_I love him_.

“MOVE!”

He leapt up from the spot, reached around his neck, and brandished the dagger he’d received from Cardinal. His fist came down and slammed into the barrier protecting Administrator. He wasn’t going to lose himself again. As he pushed the dagger forward with all of his might, his mind produced a scenario of its own creation—some future after all of this, perhaps.

Eugeo gazed at townspeople, smiling at them as they went about their mundane little tasks. They were alive and thriving, thanks to the future that had been paved for them after the fall of the Axiom Church. It filled him with joy to see children laughing while they played in the streets. He let out a sigh.

Arms wrapped around his waistline. Weight appeared on his shoulder. He tilted his head towards it, his temple pressing against Kirito’s hair. Eugeo lifted his arm and touched his hand to Kirito’s cheek. It was warm.

“It’s a perfect day for a nap in the grass, don’t you think?”

Laughing, Eugeo ruffled Kirito’s hair.

“If you say so.”

They turned towards each other, as if they instinctively knew to do so, and their lips met. Kirito’s lips tasted faintly of honey. Eugeo fought the urge to smile while they held the kiss…

He grasped the hilt of the dagger with both hands and let out a scream. This was what he had to do to break free of her control. This was how he’d build the future he wanted to see, not just for the people of the Human Empire, but also for himself. He would make that future happen.

Eugeo smiled.

_I love you, Kirito._

The barrier protecting Administrator shattered.

_Thank you._


End file.
